Adrian's Story
by writergrl1992
Summary: With Last Sacrifice,we know Rose had her happy ending.But there were casualties too,and Adrian's heart was broken.What happens to him next?Like Rose claims,can he find somebody who will inspire him to improve?This is my 1st fanfic, plz R&R!*spoiler alert*
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note:**

**I never liked Adrian much, and Rose and Dimitri took up all my attention whenever I read VA books. But in Last Sacrifice Adrian was left heartbroken (?) and, how do I say it... I'm a sucker for the underdog *grins sheepishly*. So all of a sudden I started thinking about Adrian, and who would be the erfect one for him, bla bla. Reading the VA books before reading this isn't exactly necessary, but seeing that this is fanfic, almost everybody must have, so plz don't get fed up when i describe certain basic stuff we all know. Richelle Mead does that in every first chapter and I tried to make the writing style as close to Mead's as possible. This being my first fanfic, please R&R!**

**Of course I don't own Adrian, Lissa, Christian, Rose, Dimitri and Vampire Academy, no matter how I wish... They are all brain children of Richelle Mead =)**

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**CHAPTER 1**

"And people thought I was crazy before," I muttered to myself, staring at the golden drink in my hand. The bubbles lightly rose to the surface. I dimly wondered how many glasses I'd already consumed and then shrugged. Hardly enough. It took a lot to get me drunk enough, though no one would guess that when they looked at me. Spirit was a pain in the ass, and not quite easily forgotten. Besides, swearing off drinking was what Rose always told me to...

My jaws clenched when I thought about her and I downed the glass in one go before slamming it on the table. I'd slunk out of court trying to get myself drunk - and a drink - and even here, she wouldn't leave my thoughts. She betrayed me. Those words were in my head like an infinite loop. She cheated on me. She lied to me. She betrayed me. And I was a fool- a blind fool to never see it. Dimitri was the world for her; I was just a toy, a temporary amusement. She left me all alone. To this.

I eyed the filled glass before me. The staff was efficient - and pretty. The human girl gave me a sly and dazzling smile as she turned away with the tray with my empty glass. She was gorgeous of course - only the best for the royals. You had to be a royal or the guest of one to be able to get here. The perks of being a royal. I extended a lazy hand to get that glass when a shadow fell over me. It was Lissa.

"Your majesty," I said in a very convincingly drunken drawl. "What a pleasure and surprise to see you here. Forgive me if I don't stand up. I don't mean any disrespect. I'm just too lazy and too drunk to get up." I wasn't joking or being sarcastic... much. Lissa - or Vasilisa Dragomir - was the queen of Moroi, the living vampires, the good guys. Yup, I can say that, 'cause I'm one of them. If the word 'vampire' causes you to tremble in fear and visualise monsters, then it's the Strigoi you're thinking about - the undead evil vampires, the bad guys.

Lissa became our queen in a series of history-making events after the former queen, my aunt, was murdered. Rose had been accused of murder, but little dhampir had done it again and not only proved her innocence, but also unmasked the killer. I stiffened when I thought of Rose once again. If Lissa was here, Rose, her best friend and guard, was here too.

Lissa rolled her eyes at my non-invitation and sat down primly in the chair next to me.

"She's not here." She said, smiling at me.

I raised one eyebrow. "Who do you mean?" I asked drawled, lazily turning my head to see four of her guards hovering in the background. So Lissa wasn't lying – Rose wasn't here, not physically, not even mentally now that her spirit bond with Lissa was broken.

Lissa gave me an exasperated look before shaking her head sadly.

"How long do you think you can go like this, Adrian? This is getting out of hand. It hadn't been this bad before – this drive to drink."

"So she's put you up to this, huh?" I grimaced, gulping down the drink and sighing as my thoughts grew fuzzy and auras around the people became less blinding. Drunk at last.

"Who do you mean?" Lissa said tartly, throwing my words on my face.

"Touché," I drawled, toasting my empty glass to her.

Lissa just sighed, looking at my sadly. This was a very old, very bitter and very familiar topic. No matter what Her Majesty Lissa did or said, it wouldn't change the fact that her best friend broke my heart. She did betray me, and Lissa wouldn't blame her, all because Dimitri was apparently the soul mate, the other half. Bullshit, if you ask me.

"It's getting worse, Adrian," Lissa said worriedly. I glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. "You forget I can see auras too." Not likely. Lissa was the most famous spirit user out there and we were the only ones trying together to figure our powers out. I merely shrugged.

"Adrian..." Lissa trailed off, staring off at nothing. I recognised the hesitation. So Her Majesty hadn't sought me out to give me friendly comfort. Favours – that was all I was useful for. Rose had always asked for them; by default so did Lissa.

"Anything, your majesty." I said drily with a salute. Not that Lissa had to ask me favours; she could order anything and I'd be forced to carry it out. But that wasn't Lissa; she was the gentlest and the most empathic person I'd ever seen. She won't force me if I didn't want to help.

Lissa looked at me guiltily and then away. 'It's about - about Jill.' she muttered, not meeting my eyes. I sat up straight, feeling slightly bad for all the drinks inside me when I wobbled. 'what about jailbait? What's wrong?'

Lissa had that conflicted look whenever Jill was around or mentioned. Jill was Lissa's recently disclosed half-sister, Eric Dragomir's illegitimate daughter, the only other living Dragomir and the reason Lissa could be the queen. We Moroi had a moronic rule that a candidate could ascend the throne only when another member of his or her clan existed. And Lissa not only felt she had to feel obliged to somebody else for that, the fact that it was her dad's illegitimate child made the fact worse. I watched her aura cloud up and a tinge of red and orange bordered her normally golden aura- the characteristic colour for spirit users. She was angry and hurt, and at the same time embarrassed and upset for feeling that way.

But Jill was a sweet girl, harmless yet determined and I knew she was going through a vulnerable phase too, and I tried to concentrate on what Lissa was saying.

"We have to move her to St. Vlad's now that the vacation is over. It'd be safer than even here, and you know why I feel so. After Tatiana's murder..." she trailed off and I nodded, stopping when the room began to spin.

"So what do you want from me?" I had to get to the point; my head was starting to resent my focus on this conversation.

"I don't want to send her away like an unwanted guest, Adrian. I can't accompany her personally, I have to finish off all this court stuff before I become the first queen to attend college, Rose is my guard and she can't leave me. Christian has the Tasha" Lissa's voice wobbled "the Tasha matter to worry about, so neither he can't go either. Adrian, Jill trusts you. And I want you to go with her to St. Vladimir's."

I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. "Of course." I muttered and Lissa smiled radiantly. Then a sudden thought went through my groggy head and I sat up straight again. "Jill isn't – isn't here, is she?" I asked, panicking. That kid was adorablt and I didn't want her to see me like this, drunk and wasted.

Lissa smiled again and shook her head. "No," she assured me.

I slumped back into my seat, my eyes drooping without my permission. "So when does she leave?" I mumbled.

"The day after tomorrow," she said.

I nodded, or tried to nod as all the alcohol inside me dulled my brain. I faintly heard Lissa get out of her seat. I think I heard her say, "I wish you'd get over her soon, Adrian," before the world the turned black around me.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: **

**I'm so glad that you guys liked the first chapter! Especially Vampire406 and ThatWriterChickk: thank you so much for your positive reviews! Believe me, that gives a LOT of incentive to write more. About chapter 2 - well Adrian just keeps surprising me and I gained a few more insights into his character while writing today. I hope you'll like him as much as I do... or even more if possible! Enjoy, and don't forget to review!**

**- writergrl1992**

**p.s.: much to my regret, I do not own VA and any of its characters**

**Chapter 2**

With Lissa as the Queen and her spirit powers now a legend, people often wonder what using Spirit is like. Lissa once told me what it was like for her – light and music, love and joy. I wish I could ask Sonya Karp what it was like for her. I think Spirit feels different for different users. After all, we manifest our strengths in different regions. Yeah, super mojo power – powerful compulsion – is something we have in common. And we all see auras. Lissa heals better. And I dream-walk. So how does using spirit feel like to me?

Whenever I use spirit, I feel like I'm the part of a verse, a sonnet ripped from a book lost forever. The lyrics fill me with ecstasy, and promise more; pull at me like a siren call, beckoning me to follow, into a world of rhythm and beauty. The pull is so strong, it drives a person mad trying to resist it. When I was a wee lad, innocent and tender (no need for eye-rolls please) I hadn't known the darkness of spirit. I hadn't known the need to resist. I hadn't wanted to resist the lure for more pleasure. And I had followed.

I still shiver with longing when I think about all the feelings that had coursed through me when I'd succumbed. I had been lost to the world. I still don't know how I was brought back, but I've seen the devastation I had left behind. I had used compulsion on everybody, and haunted everybody even while they were awake. That wasn't what troubled me though; after all everybody needs a wake-up call sometime or the other. But I had seen the pain I had caused my mother and aunt. Daniella Ivashkov isn't a weak woman, but she had aged years in the – I still have no idea how many – days I'd been lost.

That's the lure we Spirit users fight against. No matter how glamorous our powers look – they try to lure us in. That's why I always keep drinking and smoking. Not exactly to reduce the spirit's lure – that doesn't change much no matter how high I am – but to convince my body that I can replicate that feeling without having to succumb. Nice, huh? I'm sure Rose would have understood. Not. She was bull-headed and would have tried her Rose-logic. _No._ I stopped my thoughts before they lingered on her.

I'm not normally like this – I try to avoid thinking much, especially about myself. I know I'm an extremely fascinating topic, but sometimes I get pulled into deep thinking. Strange for me, don't to think? I occasionally surprise myself too, keeps me from becoming monotonous. But then, I talk to myself too, and never expect a guy mumbling under his breath to be monotonous.

"Wow, that's what depression looks like. I never knew that." The sarcasm brought me back to reality and I turned around. Mia raised her eyebrows and I shrugged lazily.

"You off to St. Vlad's with us?" I nodded my head towards the bag she was dragging.

"Well, I have no choice since I haven't graduated yet, unlike Rose and Lissa." My jaws clenched again when Rose was mentioned and I tried to keep my face calm. If Mia noticed anything, she didn't comment on it.

We were in the lounge next to the Courts hangar, with a neat view. The Court gardeners did a good job, I suppose. I turned to look out the windows, and from the glimmer of aura in my peripheral vision I knew that Mia joined me too. And from the beige tinge it took, I knew Mia was feeling compassionate. My vision grew red before I caught hold of my anger. I didn't want people's compassion, dammit! But she didn't say anything, so I couldn't snap her either.

I heard footsteps behind me, and I turned around. Jill walked towards us, trying to look confident and unconcerned, but the vulnerable look on her face drove away the last remnants of anger from my mind. The girl had followed my advice, and had dressed up as expected from being the Queen's sister and a Dragomir. Her outfit was carefully coordinated and oozed class, and looked good on her. Except for her expression, which was now panicked since I was taking this long to analyze her look.

"Perfect," I said, smiling at her, and her face showed relief.

Her guardians reached us too, one of them carrying her case. And then parted, to let those who had been hidden behind then. Lissa and Christian walked up. And behind them were Rose and Dimitri.

Dimitri had been assigned as guardian to Christian, like Rose to Lissa, and it was like a freaking double date all the time. Rose tried to meet my eyes but I pretended not to notice. They were both on guardian duty, both focussed on their charges and not making goo-goo eyes at each other, but that wasn't why jealousy suddenly burned inside me. It was because, even without looking at each other, they were synchronised, and in harmony with what the other was doing. I made the mistake of looking at her eyes, and her beauty was like a slap on my face. And it wasn't guilt that was looking out of her face; yeah guilt was there too, but mostly it was regret. And, God forgive me, affection. I looked away and focussed on what was going on.

Jill and Lissa were far from comfortable. Christian hugged Jill.

"Good luck, Jailbait," Christian said, using the nickname I'd given Jill a long time ago.

"I'll miss you," Jill said with a smile, but I saw it wobble.

Christian grinned. Lissa hesitated, and then tentatively hugged Jill.

"Take care," she said, drawing back.

"You too," Jill whispered.

"Aww Mia, don't be upset we'll miss you too," Christian grinned, trying to ruffle Mia's hair. "I don't think _I_ will, though," Mia grinned back, ducking out of his reach.

"Hey. It's not like I was setting her on fire," Christian said in a mocking hurt voice.

"Well, then she would just douse herself with water," Rose said coming forward, smiling widely. She hugged Mia, and then Jill, whispering something in her ear before going back to her guarding stance. I saw Jill meet her eyes and nod slightly, and wondered if Rose had put her up to something.

"Good to know you'll be off our shoulders for a bit, man," Christian punched my arm.

"I hope you won't get used to it, though. I don't think I can stay away from you." My voice came out unexpectedly bitter and out of the corner of my eye I saw Rose flinch. Good.

Christian looked unsure at that, and shared a glance with Lissa and then Rose. I saw Dimitri stand passively in his expressionless guardian mode, taking up everything but not participating. Rose still had a lot to learn.

I saw Rose open and then close her mouth many times, but no words came out. Finally, Lissa stepped forward and hugged me.

"Be safe," she said sarcastically, trying to diffuse the tension.

"When am I not?" I said with wide eyes, gesturing at my guardians. Lissa grinned.

"I meant for others."

"You break my heart," I mocked. I turned to Mia. "May I?" I said, gesturing towards her bag. She raised her eyebrows. Yeah, Mia was training in martial arts and could probably throw around punches, but it was Rose who could throw _me_ around. And I really didn't want to think about her.

"Okay," Mia said, surprising me, with a glint in her eyes. I hadn't expected her to really agree, but I grasped the handle of the bag in her hand... and felt my shoulder dislocate. Almost. Mia just laughed and took the damn bag out of my hand and walked out the glass doors towards the private plane waiting outside.

I glanced at Jill, and found her smiling. It had been so long since I'd seen her smile, and I realised I'd missed the old laughing Jailbait. I grinned at her, tilting my head towards the plane and she nodded, and we followed Mia towards the plane, away from Rose.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:  
Sorry guys for the late upload. Exam time, and the ideas weren't coming very fast :) I hope this slightly longer chapter makes it up to you. It'll be sometime before I update the story again, so plz review and rate! The more you review, I'll know how much you love this and want me to write more, and the sooner I'll update! And if you don't review... well I'll know that you don't like this story very much and I will discontinue.. (Just kidding! lol)  
I hope you'll like this chapter. Adrian's really growing on me, and Vera's kind of special and I have BIG plans for her.. you'll know what soon! And let me know your ideas about who's better for Adrian.. who will he lose his heart too? Keep guessing, and let me know your thoughts! Love you guys :)  
-writergrl  
Adrian and co belong to Richelle Mead, but Vera's all mine!

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Chapter 3

The flight wasn't very long, but it was enough for me to decide that Jill deserved, and needed, much more than just a drop off at school. I hadn't barricaded myself against spirit; something about Jailbait – her innocence, probably – made me cringe at the thought of her seeing me wasted, so I was completely sober and the onslaught of auras was giving me a headache. And Jill's usually clear and strong blue-purple aura was tinged with brown – she was worried. Jill needed her old friends around her while she faced the others; and most of them we had left behind at the Court. All she had to back her was me. And Mia. So I supposed I could spend a couple of days around, away from Court and a certain Dhampir. At least somebody here needed me and not just for favours. I guess that does something to heal a fragile sense of self-worth.

We were almost landing at the private runway at St. Vladimir's when I declared I wanted to stay at St. Vlad's for a couple of days. Mia didn't look surprised but sitting next to her, Jill's eyes grew round with happiness and gratitude. "You will? Thank you so much, Adrian! I wanted you to stay, but I couldn't bring myself to ask... You've already helped me so much..." She looked down at her fingers, fumbling with a loose thread from her skirt. "I'm so scared," She whispered.

"We're here, Jill," Mia said, putting a protective arm around her and squeezing her shoulder. Jill sat straight, wiping her eyes. "I don't want to be scared and... weak like this." She looked up suddenly, her eyes suddenly blazing and defiant and I cringed at the bright intensity her aura suddenly took. "This isn't supposed go like this. I have been training with Christian and you, Mia, in fighting physically. I don't want to go down just because of a mental war. I can't give in!"

The girl just kept making me feel proud and ashamed all at the same time. I smiled at her, letting her see how proud I felt. "That's what I want, Jill. You're not some wall flower or a nobody. You're a royal, a Dragomir, the Queen's sister and an absolutely stunning woman. And I know a lot about women," I added with a sly smile, hiding my bitterness when I inadvertently thought about Rose again.

Jill flushed, and I wasn't lying when I said she was stunning, in a naive way. She had thin but classic features, her hair now no longer parted simply in the middle but brushed stylishly to fall on one shoulder. Her freckles had vanished and her face now was more than pretty; it was now marked with a grace rare at such a young age. Not so young though, I reminded myself. She was almost 15, a sophomore. And add the famous Dragomir eyes to the equation, and you get the result: stunning.

"And you aren't going down anywhere, don't worry," Mia said fiercely, and her aura flared up red with a past rage. "It won't happen to you, not with us here." Her promise hung in the air for a few seconds, and I remembered the angry Mia from our first encounter. It was the first time I'd met Rose. Funny how I'd almost forgotten I'd run into both of them the same day. Rose had preoccupied my attentions, so much so that the details from that day had almost grown biased.

The jet landed smoothly and I followed Mia and Jill as they walked over towards the senior dorm. Jill was walking carefully, regally the way I'd showed her, and her face was determined, despite the slight trembling of her mouth. Hell, I thought as I joined her and put a supporting hand on the small of her back, and Mia held her hand on the other side. She visibly grew relaxed, and as if drawing strength from our touch, she walked ahead, with her head high.

We were greeted with the expected stares and whispers. The Moroi students stopped in their tracks to stare at us, some openly and some covertly. I like attention of course, but these kinds of stares always reminded me of the way people looked at me when I was helpless in the hands of spirit with nobody to help me and I hated it, but as usual, I hid these feelings and walked in a contended swagger. Jill, my protégée totally made me proud, walking ahead calmly. Only I knew she was trembling, and that too because I had my hand on her back.

Then a girl broke out of the surrounding crowd and came forward towards us, all her focus on Jill.

"Vera," Jill whispered as the girl hugged her fiercely and Jill hugged her back. Then Vera broke away and looked at Jill carefully.

"Are you alright?" She asked. Jill smiled tremulously and nodded before turning to us.

"This is Vera Tarashov, my best friend. Vera, this is Adrian Ivashkov. And you know Mia of course."

I bowed at her, smirking slightly and the girl blushed.

"I think I can handle it from here, Adrian." Jill said, looking a bit more relaxed with her roommate there. "Thanks for everything."

"It's my pleasure. Well, see you later then," I said, nodding at Mia and her and smiling at Vera. I turned to leave, but then I heard somebody say, "Wait!"

I turned again and saw Mia hand her bag to Jill's guardian and then join me. "I need to talk with you," she said, shrugging when I raised an eyebrow.

We walked in silence for a while towards the guardians' office where I had to sign myself as a visitor. With everything going in my head, I really didn't want to talk, and was glad that Mia didn't start a conversation.

A colossal headache was starting to build up with the overload of sensations my spirit was causing. The people milling all around were standing out, all their auras distinct and speaking to me about what they were feeling, hinting at what they were thinking. I shook my head and pulled out a cigarette and lighted it, sighing with relief as the familiar scent of cloves filled my sensitive Moroi senses and dulled my sight of auras. I snuck a glance at Mia, wondering if she'd protest, and found her looking at me.

"Does it bother you?" I asked, twirling the cigarette in my fingers.

"Are you all right?" she asked instead, her eyes serious. And I knew she wasn't asking about the headache she didn't know about. I stared ahead. We had been walking slowly, and were only halfway to the guardians' office. We were in one of the training fields when I finally turned around and glared at her. Mia stared right back, her eyes neutral.

"I'm fine" I said roughly, "Thanks for your concern. Is this what you wanted to talk with me about? How I was feeling?"

"This isn't you, Adrian," Mia said, a worried line between her brows. "This bitterness, this isn't you. You don't react like this, no matter what."

"Well, if this isn't me, who am I supposed to be? If you think I'm an imposter, it's fine with me." I knew I was being really rude, but for once I wanted to say it all, just like Rose. "And just in case you didn't know, I have every right to be bitter. You don't know how I feel, so don't pretend to understand."

Mia huffed aloud and crossed her hands on her chest and looked at me, her eyes alight with anger, and I was taken aback at how she looked. While Jill had been looking stunning and gracious today, her outfit accentuating her look, Mia had donned a plain T-shirt and worn jeans that should have paled her next to Jill, but they didn't. Mia had a porcelain doll quality to her face, making her look much younger than she was, and her casual attire brought out her real age. And the anger and pain in her face was captivating. Her blue eyes were burning sapphires, and I blinked, realising that she was talking.

"I know I'm not as royal, and as important as you, Adrian Ivashkov, but don't you dare tell me I don't know about bitterness, about pain." Her eyes were now bright with unshed tears, and she looked away as she spoke. "You lost your aunt to murder, and I know how that feels. I've lost my mother. Rose – Rose didn't mean to betray you, Adrian. She's always loved you, but in a different way from what you want. It isn't her fault, is it? You can't help how you feel."

I grit my teeth as I heard that, but Mia continued. "But no matter what her intentions were, you're hurt. It doesn't matter that she hadn't meant you to. But, Adrian, it hurts more when people hurt you intentionally." She turned then to look at me square in the eyes, her eyes hard as stones. "And don't care that you're in pain."

I felt like she'd slapped me. She understood what I felt. She did understand. I remembered what I'd heard about Andre, Lissa's now dead brother, had used her. Her face grew hard when she saw that I understood.

"So I do understand. And I can help you if you want." She stared at the novices walking in the distance towards their training fields as she spoke. "You're a nice guy, Adrian. I see how you care about Jill and how you're trying to help her. I think you deserve help too."

I stared at her with as much contempt and sarcasm I could muster. "I'm a nice guy, Mia? I'm a drunkard and a chain smoker. Mothers warn their girls to stay away from me when I enter rooms. Maybe you have a different definition of a 'nice guy'."

Mia stared at me squarely and I was suddenly scared at her. I was the spirit user here, but I felt as if she could see my aura, and my soul. And I was scared what she would find there.

"Funny you call yourself a chain smoker, Adrian, since you've been holding that cigarette in your hand for about fifteen minutes and have totally forgotten about it."

I looked down, shocked, at the forgotten cigarette in my hand.

"Call me when you need me." Mia said. She turned around and walked away towards her dorm, leaving me alone in the field, staring after her in shock and all the bitterness, pain and frustration I felt inside me.


End file.
